Skate boot including a thermoformable arch-support region

ABSTRACT

A hockey skate boot includes a sole portion having a deformable arch-support region to accommodate feet having differently shaped arches. The deformable arch-support region may be made of a thermoformable material that is moldable when heated to match the arch of a given wearer&#39;s foot. After the arch-support region is molded to conform to a wearer&#39;s arch, it is allowed to cool so that it hardens and remains in the desired shape.

BACKGROUND

Hockey skates are typically relatively inflexible in order to providenecessary support and to efficiently transfer forces during skating. Toensure efficient acceleration and cornering, a hockey skate should fitsnugly on a wearer's foot so that little relative movement occursbetween the foot and the skate boot.

Given that the shape of the human foot varies between wearers, ensuringa proper fit for a particular individual can be challenging. The soleregion of the skate boot is generally an important fitting area becausemuch of the pressure exerted by a foot occurs in that region. The soleregion typically contains an arch support designed to accommodate thearch of a wearer's foot. The shape of an arch, however, can vary greatlybetween wearers, with some feet having little or no arch (i.e., “flatfeet”), while other feet have a pronounced arch.

There are several ways to accommodate and support differently shapedarches. One way is to provide non-customized insoles of differentshapes. Non-customized insoles, however, increase the overall cost of ahockey skate and may not provide adequate support for the shape of aparticular foot.

Another option is to use custom insoles or orthotics. This is generallyaccomplished by taking an impression of a wearer's foot and replicatingthe shape into an insole. Custom insoles and orthotics, however, areexpensive, and many wearers are unwilling to make the effort requiredfor customization. Additionally, custom insoles and orthotics aregenerally heavy and non-responsive, resulting in a skate that is lessresponsive than desired.

Another option is to use an insole including a flowable material thatconforms to the arch of a wearer's foot. These “flow” or “gel” typematerials, however, are heavy and non-responsive, resulting in a skatethat provides less agility than that which is desired by a typicalskater.

SUMMARY

A hockey skate boot includes a sole portion having a deformablearch-support region to accommodate feet having differently shapedarches. The deformable arch-support region may be made of athermoformable material that is moldable when heated to match the archof a given wearer's foot. After the arch-support region is molded toconform to a wearer's arch, it is allowed to cool so that it hardens andremains in the desired shape. Other features and advantages will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the followingdrawings, detailed description, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, wherein the same reference number indicates the sameelement throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a boot form for a skate boot including athermoformable arch-support region and separate upper quarter panels,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the boot form shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a boot form for a skate boot including athermoformable arch-support region having corrugations orientedgenerally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the boot form, accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a boot form for a skate boot including athermoformable arch-support region having corrugations orientedgenerally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boot form,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a boot form for a skate boot including athermoformable arch-support region and an additional arch support,according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention will now be described. Thefollowing description provides specific details for a thoroughunderstanding and enabling description of these embodiments. One skilledin the art will understand, however, that the invention may be practicedwithout many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structuresor functions may not be shown or described in detail so as to avoidunnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the variousembodiments.

The terminology used in the description presented below is intended tobe interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it isbeing used in conjunction with a detailed description of certainspecific embodiments of the invention. Certain terms may even beemphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted inany restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as suchin this detailed description section.

Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include theplural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word “or” isexpressly limited to mean only a single item exclusive from the otheritems in a list of two or more items, then the use of “or” in such alist is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list,(b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of items in thelist. Further, unless otherwise specified, terms such as “attached” or“connected” are intended to include integral connections, as well asconnections between physically separate components.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in one embodiment, a boot form 30 for a skateboot includes a heel region 34, a toe region 36, a lower portion 32, anupper portion 38, and an arch-support region 50. The boot form 30 may bemade of fiber-reinforced composite materials or other suitablematerials.

Some suitable reinforcing materials include structural fibers of carbon,glass, aramid, ceramic, liquid crystal polymer, and others. Carbonfiber, for example, provides a rigid frame that efficiently transfersenergy generated by leg motion to the blade-holder (not shown) and blade(not shown) of the skate. To impart desired stiffness properties indifferent directions and locations, these structural fibers may becombined with a thermoset resin such as epoxy, vinyl ester, or others.The structural fibers may alternatively be combined with a thermoplasticresin such as a polyamide, polypropylene, polyurethane, or others. Inone embodiment, the upper portion 38 may be made of aglass-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin or similar material that ismore flexible than the materials used to construct the lower portion 32.

The skate boot may also include upper quarter panels 40 and 42. Theupper quarter panels 40 and 42 have a bottom edge 44 that aligns with anedge 46 of the boot form 30. The upper quarter panels 40 and 42 may beadhesively bonded, stitched, or otherwise suitably attached to the edge46 of the boot form 30. The upper quarter panels 40 and 42 may be madeof a thermoplastic fabric laminate that is more flexible than the bootform 30, or of another suitable material An outer covering (not shown),such as a leather or fabric covering, and a tendon guard (not shown) mayalso be attached to the boot form 30 or quarter panels 40 and 42.

In one embodiment, the boot form 30 and the upper quarter panels 40 and42 may generally be constructed as described in U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/094,599, filed on Dec. 2, 2013, or U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/794,071, filed on Mar. 11, 2013, both of which areincorporated herein by reference.

The boot form 30 further includes a deformable arch-support region 50 inits lower medial region, or sole region. The deformable arch-supportregion 50 provides a customizable fit of the skate boot to a wearer'sfoot. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the arch-support region 50 includes alength L, a height H, and a depth or width D. (Dimension W indicates theremaining width of the boot form 30.) The arch-support region 50 mayvary in size, thickness, or geometry to offer desired performancebenefits.

The arch-support region 50 may be made of a thermoplastic materialhaving a relatively low melting temperature, such as a polyamide,polypropylene, polyurethane, polyethylene, or other suitable material.When heated to a temperature of about 160-220 degrees Fahrenheit, thesematerials become moldable when subjected to a force, such as when awearer presses his or her foot against the arch-support region 50.

In one embodiment, the arch-support region 50 includes a higher-archdimension H than that of a typical human foot, and may also includelarger dimensions L or D. For example, the arch support region 50 mayhave the following dimensions in a male, size-9 boot: Length L ofapproximately 5 inches, Depth D of approximately 1.5 inches, and heightH of approximately 1 inch (a typical size-9 human arch has a length ofapproximately 4 inches, a depth of approximately 1.25 inches, and aheight of approximately 0.75 inches). This allows the arch-supportregion 50 to accommodate both large and small arches during molding. Ifthe wearer's foot has a naturally high arch, for example, the change inshape of the arch-support region 50 during molding may be relativelyminimal. If the wearer's foot has a naturally low arch, conversely, theheight H of the arch-support region 50 may reduce significantly duringmolding to match the contour of the wearer's arch.

To customize the arch-support region 50 to a wearer's foot, the bootform 30 is heated to approximately 160-220 degrees Fahrenheit in an ovenor other heating device, or with a portable device such as a hot-airgun. In some embodiments, such as when a hot-air gun is used, only thearch-support region 50 needs to be heated. The boot form 30 is thenremoved from the oven (or the supply of heat to the boot form 30 isotherwise discontinued), after which the skate boot is fit to thewearer's foot and cinched tight with, for example, shoe laces. Duringthis fitting, dimensions L, H, and D of the arch-support region 50conform to the shape of the wearer's arch. The skate boot may then beremoved from the wearer's foot and allowed to cool. Once cooled, thethermoplastic or other thermoformable material forming the arch-supportregion 50 will harden into its pre-heated stiffness in the shape of thewearer's arch.

If a wearer inadvertently over-compresses the arch support region 50, orif the boot is later used with a different wearer having a higher ordifferently shaped arch, the arch-support region 50 may be reheated andthen formed into its original shape (or into another suitablepre-fitting shape). To accomplish this, once the arch-support region 50is heated to a sufficient temperature, force or pressure may be appliedunder the arch-support region 50 to expand it or otherwise reshape it.

The stiffness of the arch-support region 50 may be varied based on thematerials used to construct it. For example, carbon-fiber-reinforcedthermoplastic may be used to construct the arch-support region 50, whichis similar in stiffness to the carbon-fiber-reinforced thermosetmaterials that may be used to construct the lower portion 32 of the bootform 30. The carbon fibers may also be oriented at specific angles toobtain desired bending stiffness or torsional stiffness. In someembodiments, the arch-support region 50 may have a stiffness similar to,or more flexible than, the lower portion 32 of the boot form 30. If thearch-support region 50 is more flexible than the lower portion 32, thecomposite boot form 30 will have a lower overall bending stiffness ortorsional stiffness.

The arch-support region 50 may also provide a spring-like resiliencythat creates additional energy return. When a skater applies a downwardforce to push off and accelerate, the arch-support region 50 may flexand then return to its molded shape, providing additional accelerationfor the skater. In one embodiment, springs or clips may be added underor in the arch-support region 50 to provide more or less pushback forcefor the skater.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the arch-support region 50 may include ridgesor corrugations to further optimize stiffness and resiliency. Thesecorrugations may be oriented parallel, perpendicular, diagonal,cross-hatched, or in another direction relative to the longitudinal axisof the skate boot to achieve desired characteristics. Further, one ormore of the corrugations may be curved to provide further customization.

FIG. 3 shows the arch-support region 50 with corrugations 52 runningparallel to the longitudinal axis of the boot form 30. The parallelcorrugations 52 generally provide increased bending stiffness. FIG. 4,conversely, shows the arch-support region 50 with corrugations 54running perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boot form 30. Theperpendicular corrugations 54 generally provide decreased bendingstiffness.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, an additional arch support 60may be added or attached to the boot form 30 in the arch-support region50. The additional arch support 60 may be made of a relatively stiffmaterial, such as a carbon-fiber reinforced polymer, to providestiffness enhancement, or of a relatively flexible, softer material,such as a polyurethane elastomer, to provide vibration damping. Theadditional arch support 60 may also be used as a forming tool that ispositioned under the arch-support region 50 during thermal-fitting ofthe boot form 30 to a wearer's foot.

Any of the above-described embodiments may be used alone or incombination with one another. Further, the skate boot with a deformablearch-support region may include additional features not describedherein. While several embodiments have been shown and described, variouschanges and substitutions may of course be made, without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, shouldnot be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A skate boot, comprising: a lower portionincluding a heel region and a toe region; an upper portion attached toor integral with the lower portion; and an arch-support region in thelower portion comprising a thermoformable material that is moldable toconform to a wearer's arch when heated.
 2. The skate boot of claim 1wherein the arch-support region comprises a higher arch geometry than awearer's arch before molding.
 3. The skate boot of claim 1 furthercomprising an additional arch support positioned under the arch-supportregion.
 4. The skate boot of claim 1 wherein the arch-support regioncomprises corrugations.
 5. The skate boot of claim 4 wherein thecorrugations are oriented substantially parallel to a longitudinal axisof the skate boot.
 6. The skate boot of claim 4 wherein the corrugationsare oriented substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of theskate boot.
 7. The skate boot of claim 1 wherein the lower portioncomprises a composite boot form reinforced by structural fibers.
 8. Theskate boot of claim 1 wherein the thermoformable material comprises athermoplastic material.
 9. The skate boot of claim 8 wherein thethermoplastic material has a melting temperature of 160 to 220 degreesFahrenheit.
 10. The skate boot of claim 8 wherein the thermoplasticmaterial is reinforced with structural fibers.
 11. The skate boot ofclaim 1 wherein the upper portion comprises a quarter panel having abottom edge attached to a top edge of the lower portion.
 12. The skateboot of claim 11 wherein the quarter panel comprises a thermoplasticfabric laminate.
 13. A method of fitting a skate boot including athermoformable arch-support region to a wearer's foot, comprising:heating at least the thermoformable arch-support region to a temperaturethat softens the thermoformable arch-support region; inserting thewearer's foot into the skate boot so that the arch of the wearer's footpresses down on the arch-support region; waiting a sufficient time toallow the arch-support region to conform to the arch of the wearer'sfoot; and removing the wearer's foot from the skate boot.
 14. The methodof claim 13 further comprising tightening the skate boot to a desiredfit after inserting the wearer's foot into the skate boot.
 15. Themethod of claim 13 further comprising allowing the skate boot to coolafter removing the wearer's foot so that the arch-support region hardensto its pre-heated stiffness.
 16. The method of claim 13 wherein theelevated temperature is approximately 169 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit. 17.A skate boot, comprising: a foot-receiving portion; and an arch supportin the foot-receiving portion comprising a material that is moldable toconform to a wearer's arch when heated.
 18. The skate boot of claim 17wherein the arch support comprises a higher arch geometry than awearer's arch before molding.
 19. The skate boot of claim 17 wherein thearch support comprises a thermoplastic material that has a meltingtemperature of 160 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit.
 20. The skate boot ofclaim 19 wherein thermoplastic material is reinforced with structuralfibers.